Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints cornerback Jabari Greer knocks down a pass in the end zone intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the NFC divisional playoff game at the Superdome.According to several scouting analysts, he was the second-highest rated cornerback in the NFL this season, behind New York Jets All-Pro Darrelle Revis.

But more casual observers of the Saints weren't as willing to heap that kind of praise on the sixth-year pro, who had a breakout season despite missing seven games with a groin/sports hernia injury.

"I don't even think you can name a cornerback in this game, off the top of your head, " said NFL Network analyst and former cornerback Deion Sanders, who was incredulous when told that several analysts suggested Greer was almost as effective as Revis.

"A Revis-like season? Who said that? Did he even get voted to the Pro Bowl? After 15 guys declined not to go, and he still didn't get invited to the Pro Bowl?"

Sanders did concede that Greer is "on the right path."

"I'll say he's on his way. He's at baggage claim."

Colts receiver Reggie Wayne has been complimentary of the Saints' secondary this week, but if Greer has caught his attention, he wasn't saying.

"Really, they don't have one standout guy, but they do a great job by committee, " Wayne said.

Perhaps one more outstanding performance on the biggest stage will open some more eyes to Greer's talent.

Then again, staying under the radar basically is Greer's job description.

He wasn't noticed much in playoff victories against Arizona and Minnesota while he was spending most of his time shadowing Pro Bowl receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Sidney Rice. But nobody noticed Fitzgerald or Rice much, either.

"I take it for what it is, " Greer said. "I realize that the corner position, it's a high stress-level position. And you only get recognized when you make a great play or a terrible play. There's no in between.

"Fortunately, we've been able to have a bit of success early this season. And I look forward to keeping it going. This is the biggest game. This is where you have to rise up to make the most plays. You have to be able to be accountable for your team."

His addition has been every bit as important as that of free agent safety Darren Sharper, maybe moreso because of the importance of his position and the Saints' glaring need for a capable cornerback.

And he wasn't even their first choice. The Saints aggressively pursued cornerback Ron Bartell during the opening days of free agency because they wanted a bigger, more physical cornerback. But Bartell chose to stay with the St. Louis Rams, so the Saints turned to Plan B.

"I think he's done a tremendous job, " said Williams, who said improving the Saints' secondary was "the No. 1 thing I had to do" when he took over as the Saints' coordinator. "And make no bones about it, I'm a better coach when Jabari Greer's playing at corner and Tracy Porter's playing at corner. Because when you don't have to fear about their matchups, you can do a lot of tricky things.

"You can do a lot of things to overload the box. You can do a lot of other double-coverage things. But if your two corners can't survive out there on the Autobahn, now all of a sudden you've got to take all the help to them and you're hanging out somebody else."

Greer had two interceptions this season and returned one for a touchdown. But his specialty was preventing big plays.

Greer allowed just one touchdown pass -- a controversial 68-yard bomb to Atlanta's Roddy White, who appeared to push Greer away before making the catch.

Even including that catch, Greer allowed just 201 yards and 4.9 yards per attempt during the regular season, according to NFL analyst KC Joyner, who writes for ESPN.com, The New York Times and other outlets.

Joyner said 41 passes were thrown Greer's way, and 26 of them fell incomplete. The others were either completed or drew penalties. That is a success rate of 63.4 percent for the defense.

Stats Inc. came up with a similar number, saying Greer was "burned" on only 37.9 percent of passes thrown his way, which ranked second in the league behind Revis' 37.0.

The Football Outsiders also ranked Greer second in the league behind Revis with 4.7 yards allowed per pass attempt.

"Those are Champ Bailey-type numbers. They're Nnamdi Asomugha-type numbers, " said Joyner, who has followed Greer closely since working up a statistical profile on him for his agents, Mark and Jeff Bloom, in free agency. "Now, that's only 41 attempts, and Revis had 101 attempts. So the scouting side of me says I'm hesitant to put him in that category until I see 100 attempts or so.

"But he does this for 16 games in 2010, he's an All-Pro. He's that good."

The Football Outsiders dig even deeper when analyzing cornerbacks, creating a "success rate" that measures incomplete passes but also has a weighted formula that considers how many yards are allowed on first, second, third and fourth downs.

By that measure, Greer also ranked second behind Revis, with a success rate of 69 percent.

More important, Football Outsiders analyst Bill Barnwell said the Saints' team success rate dropped significantly on Greer's side of the field in the seven games he was out of the lineup.

"It's not an exact science, " Barnwell said, explaining that it's impossible to tell when a cornerback was out of position when he was supposed to be in coverage, or when teams chose not to throw at a cornerback because his receiver wasn't open. "But if you want to say he's the second best corner in the league, the case is definitely there, especially when you consider the performance when he was out of the lineup. He definitely belongs in the top five, six or seven."

Greer said he has gotten wind of some of those statistical rankings, and he said, "I guess it's nice to a point." But he said missing the long stretch with the groin injury definitely kept him humble.

"You know, I have a long way to go to become the player I want to be, " Greer said. "But I guess that any time you can come in there and help the team have some success, I think that's the ultimate reward."

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.